Excel Column Letter Converter
Type column letters, column numbers, cell references or ranges, one on each line, and see the other form. Ranges tell you how many cells they cover.
Worked examples
Letters and numbers
A Z AA XFD 703
1 26 27 16384 AAA
703 is the first three letter column.
A range
B2:F20
95 cells: 5 columns by 19 rows
5 columns times 19 rows.
About Excel Column Letter Converter
Spreadsheet columns are named with letters: A to Z, then AA, AB and so on up to XFD, the last column of a modern worksheet. Scripts, import tools and some formulas need the column as a number, and other tools need the letters. Converting by hand is error prone, because the lettering looks like a base 26 system but has no zero: Z is 26, AA is 27, AZ is 52 and BA is 53.
Type column letters, column numbers, cell references or ranges, one on each line, and see the other form straight away. A cell such as C7 gives its column number and row. A range such as B2:F20 gives the number of columns, rows and cells it covers and checks the corners, whichever way round you typed them. Results beyond the last column, 16,384, are flagged.
How to use Excel Column Letter Converter
- Type or paste your values, one on each line.
- Use letters such as AB, numbers such as 28, cells such as C7 or ranges such as B2:F20.
- Read the result and what it means beside each line.
- Copy the answers you need.
Common uses
- Writing a script that reads a column by number
- Finding which letter is column 53 or column 100
- Counting the cells in a range for a data validation or an import
- Checking how wide a sheet can go
Frequently asked questions
What is the last column?
XFD, which is column number 16,384. A worksheet can also have up to 1,048,576 rows.
Why is it not an ordinary base 26 system?
Because there is no zero. After Z (26) comes AA (27), not BA. That makes the conversion work with numbers from 1 to 26 for each letter.
What is column 100?
CV. Column 52 is AZ, column 78 is BZ and column 100 is CV.
How many cells are in B2:F20?
B to F is 5 columns and 2 to 20 is 19 rows, so 5 times 19 gives 95 cells.
Does it matter whether I type capital letters?
No. ab, Ab and AB all give 28.